To the OP I'd say try out packing your smaller sack with your list of kit for a longer trip and see what would need to go on the outside. If that works you'll have your answer about selling the bigger pack.
Cramming everything into a small pack is fine until you're in freezing conditions, galeforce winds and heavy rain. Personally i would much rather have a slightly oversized pack with a bit of spare space in which things can be easily stuffed with minimal fuss.The point being, you take a small bag so when people ask, 'what size bag do you take when camping?' you can breezily reply, 'oh, just a 35L...'
For an overnighter, your Sabre 45 should be OK for capacity. If you feel the need for extra capacity, the side pockets for it are really good
In fairness to the leaf cutter it’s quite a good bag, very light and very well made but it was expensive (well I think so anyway) and I uhhmmed and aahhed over for it ages but with hindsight there is no doubt that the sabre (with rocket packs) is a time proven model. I should have paid more attention at the time.Just to add a little more grist to the mill, I walked along the Offa's Dyke footpath, an eleven-day backpacking jaunt, using the Sabre 45 + pockets. It worked brilliantly, allowing me to carry everything I needed and nothing I didn't. It was in summer but it proved the versatility of the pack and the redundancy of some of the behemoths out there. In the interests of transparency, I have to admit that I have 'retired' my Sabre and now use a Savotta Jaakari L in its stead - another superb, similarly-sized pack with a rather better harness.
Looking at Mr Mears's site, it seems that his Leafcutter pack doesn't even have side compression straps which, to my mind at least, are something of an essential in a pack of that size. But then, that's just me...
Dave, I’ve been a ML(S & W) for 20 years and regularly work with other ML and MCI and I’ve never heard of anybody failing for having kit on the outside of their pack. I do agree however that your more likely to lose or get soaked anything dangling !
I'm certain I've been taken into the hills by qualified mountain professionals who carried things outside their pack. I remember a national trust working holiday with a day of climbing and scrambling. The instructor / guide (single pitch, ML and other qualifications) carried his ropes coiled up under the top lid of his alpine style climbing sack. I have a few sacks of that style and they all have a special strap to secure ropes carried this way.
Of course he could have slipped into habits that would fail him in an ML assessment. Although do they need a full set of climbing ropes for summer ML at least so in a summer ML job would they need a rope to carry on the outside?
This would have been about 1983 at the tender age of 13. It's long gone now, was nicked at a scooter rally IIRC.Your sleeping bag might be outdated.
I don't know it though.
I know, but back then I thought it was brilliant.That I know of course. And it's totally outdated of course.
The modern military sleeping bags became much more compact.